The sixty-plus years of corruption, neglect, and incompetence brought about by Cuba’s socialist revolution continues to take its toll on buildings and Cubans in Havana. Another building collapse in Havana left an elderly woman trapped under the debris.
Via Periodico Cubano (my translation):
Elderly woman trapped under the debris of a total building collapse in Havana
A total building collapse on Thursday surprised residents in the Havana area of Playa, as confirmed by reports by eyewitnesses to CubaNet. At the moment, it has been reported an elderly woman was trapped under the rubble.
The building was located on 66th Street, between 23rd and 25th Avenues, in the Buenavista neighborhood. According to a source close to the incident, the collapse of the structure occurred due to the lack of resources the communist government failed to provide for the maintenance of the building.
Images showed the moment when a team from the Fire Department arrived at the scene, although the first ones to render aid were neighbors in the area. Officers from the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) and State Security also appeared.
At the moment, the condition of the elderly woman who lived in the building is unknown. Authorities continue to work at the collapse site to assess the damages.
The age of several buildings in Havana has led to the province becoming one of the worst in terms of housing conditions. As a result, with the arrival every year of the rainy season, building collapses due to water and strong winds are common.
On May 1st, a partial collapse took place in a border area between the areas of Centro Habana and Old Havana. This event did not cause the loss of human life or serious injuries, but several families were left homeless.
The next day, those residents protested on Paseo Martí, known as Prado. These complaints triggered a police operation to silence the demands expressed in the protest.
“I was left without a home. It’s a lie that the Revolution doesn’t abandon anyone. It’s a lie. We’ve been in this for a long time. There’s the board that the firefighters put for me to get out. This is how it is, this doesn’t matter to anyone. Everything collapsed,” said one of the affected tenants.